/oss/articles/rss en /oss/article/technology-history-did-you-know/beginnings-chemical-synthesis <p>Chemistry can be roughly divided into two branches, analysis and synthesis. Chemists either try to identify existing substances or make new ones. By the early 19th century, a number of substances had been isolated from plants, with morphine from the poppy, quinine from cinchona bark, and coumarin from tonka beans being examples. However, given that these substances were derived from living species, they were believed to be endowed with a “life force” that could not be duplicated in the lab, and that such “organic” substances could not be synthesized.</p> Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:52:42 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10124 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/when-science-allows-you-lose-your-head <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-when-science-allows-you-to-lose-your-head">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 18 Oct 2024 20:01:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10121 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-student-contributors/well-established-balancing-act <p>Some things can be classified with high acidity, like lemon juice, or low acidity, like bicarbonate. Acidity is often measured on a pH scale. This is because Danish chemist <a href="https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/soren-sorensen/">Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen</a> invented the concept of pH as a convenient method for expressing acidity. Acidic things have a low pH whereas alkaline things have a high pH.</p> Thu, 17 Oct 2024 22:09:08 +0000 Daniela Padres 10119 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know/having-trouble-faces-theres-name <p>If you drive to pick up your child after school and notice that sometimes they go and greet <i>another parent </i>instead who has a car similar to yours, what goes through your head?</p> Thu, 17 Oct 2024 21:57:16 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10118 at /oss /oss/article/technology-general-science/oh-bathtub-ring <p>In 1933 Calgon Incorporated of Pittsburgh introduced its flagship product, appropriately named “Calgon.” The name was derived from the phrase “calcium gone,” which was an accurate description of what the product was designed to do, namely soften water. Hard water has a high content of dissolved minerals, mostly salts of calcium and magnesium. Various problems ensue when the concentration of these is greater than about 120 mg per liter. Unlike the sodium salts of fatty acids that are the basis of soaps, their calcium and magnesium salts are insoluble, resulting in the classic bath tub ring.</p> Wed, 16 Oct 2024 19:49:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10115 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-general-science-climate-change/windmills-donald-trumps-mind <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/the-right-chemistry-theyre-not-windmills-donald-theyre-wind-turbines">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>The mind works in mysterious ways.</p> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 17:27:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10111 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-did-you-know/hardest-working-caffeine-addicts-bees <p>Wake up, go to work, seek out caffeinated beverages, get food, share food with others, store leftovers for later, and repeat. This routine sure does sound familiar, doesn’t it? With over 3.5 billion employed people worldwide following a variation of that basic routine, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I was talking about humans. But what if I told you I was actually illustrating the day in the life of a bee? As it turns out, humans and bees have very similar lifestyles. They protect their own, work together during the day and seek the refuge of their hive at night.</p> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 14:30:52 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 10110 at /oss /oss/article/technology-general-science/tiny-micrornas-win-big-nobel-prize <p>It may surprise you but when microRNAs were discovered, the scientific community shrugged. “So what?” it seemed to say. Here we are, in 2024, and this discovery has resulted in two of its leading figures, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.</p> <p>How can something be so important to win the top award in science yet appear to be so trivial as to earn a collective “meh?”</p> <p>The reason is that we are an egocentric species. We don’t much care about worms.</p> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 04:50:40 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10109 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/processing-information-about-processed-meat <p>The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization lists processed meats in its “Category 1,” reserved for substances known to cause cancer in humans. There is really nothing all that noteworthy here except for the official classification. Unofficial advice about minimizing processed meat has been dispensed by nutritional scientists for a long time. And for good reason.</p> Tue, 08 Oct 2024 22:06:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10104 at /oss /oss/article/videos/mercola-know-risks <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-y3n9lpiibu4" width="640" height="390" title="Mercola: Know the Risks" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/y3N9LpiibU4?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-y3n9lpiibu4&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Mercola: Know the Risks" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Mercola: Know the Risks</iframe> </div> Mon, 07 Oct 2024 21:34:44 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10103 at /oss